Pancreatitis is inflammation of the pancreas, occurring either suddenly (acute) or as ongoing damage (chronic). Acute pancreatitis hospitalizes about 275,000 Americans yearly, while chronic pancreatitis affects roughly 50 per 100,000 people. Current treatment focuses on managing pain, replacing enzymes, and addressing underlying causes like gallstones or alcohol use.
What's actually going on in research
Trials are testing anti-inflammatory drugs to prevent organ damage during acute attacks, new pain management approaches for chronic pancreatitis, and enzyme formulations that work better. Researchers are studying whether early endoscopic procedures prevent progression, how gut bacteria influence inflammation, and genetic factors that drive recurrent pancreatitis in some families.
Anti-inflammatory targets
Drugs that block specific inflammatory pathways may prevent the cascade of organ damage that follows acute pancreatitis. Some target immune cells that rush to the pancreas, while others aim to reduce calcium overload inside pancreatic cells.
Pain mechanisms
Research is clarifying why chronic pancreatitis causes such severe pain even after inflammation settles. Trials are testing nerve blocks, drugs that target pain signaling in the pancreas, and combinations that address both inflammation and nerve changes.
Microbiome role
Studies show that gut bacteria composition changes during pancreatitis and may influence severity. Trials are testing whether probiotics or other microbiome interventions reduce complications or recurrence.
What to know before you search
Eligibility typically depends on pancreatitis type (acute or chronic), severity, prior treatments, and whether an underlying cause like gallstones has been addressed.
What types of trials are currently open
- Treatment trials — Testing drugs to reduce inflammation during acute pancreatitis or prevent complications like infected fluid collections and organ failure.
- Pain management trials — Testing medications, nerve blocks, or combinations aimed at chronic pancreatitis pain that hasn't responded to standard approaches.
- Enzyme trials — Testing new pancreatic enzyme formulations or dosing strategies to improve digestion and reduce pain in chronic pancreatitis.
- Procedure trials — Comparing endoscopic approaches like stent placement or stone removal to medication or surgery for chronic pancreatitis.
- Prevention studies — Following people with recurrent acute pancreatitis to identify who progresses to chronic disease and whether interventions can prevent that progression.
Recently added Pancreatitis trials
Receive rapid intravenous hydration during a same-day procedure
Post-ERCP pancreatitis (PEP) is the most common serious adverse event after endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), occurring in roughly 7-15% of patients. Rectal non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and peri-procedural aggressive intravenous hydration each reduce PEP, but published hydration regimens are delivered over 8-24 hours and require an overnight hospital stay, which is impractical where ERCP is increasingly performed as a same-day procedure. This multicentre, prospective, randomised controlled trial tests whether a short (under 4 hours) aggressive hydration regimen with Lactated Ringer's solution, combined with rectal indomethacin, is superior to standard care (rectal indomethacin plus low-volume hydration) for preventing PEP, while supporting same-day discharge. Adults undergoing ERCP are randomised 1:1. The primary outcome is the incidence of PEP defined by consensus (Cotton) criteria. A total of 1300 participants (650 per arm) will be enrolled.
Receive personalized fluid treatment guided by heart function monitoring
The SUSTAIN Trial is a randomized control trial that allows for the control of aggressive hydration that is currently used in an inpatient setting, which can result is fluid overload in certain patients. With the impression that changes in stroke volume in individual patient will further improve the outcome.
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